Postview: Rule of law scores a victory and a defeat

A recent essay in the Czech-language weekly Respekt focused on the success of the blockbuster movie Kajínek and pointed to its popularity as a sign of continued distrust in the judicial system. As the article noted, despite repeated official inquiries into the 1993 case of convicted killer Jiří Kajínek - all of which determined he should remain in jail - three out of four people still believe he is innocent.

One development this week should reassure citizens who doubt the objectivity of the judicial system, while another seemingly raises questions about whether it functions at all.

The successful conviction of policeman Josef Srnský in the beating death of Huang Son Lam is heartening. An even better sign is the conviction on lesser charges of two other policemen who stood by and did nothing while the beating took place. In particular, this shows the law applies equally to everybody, even public officials, and even when they attack a member of a minority group who was also allegedly a drug addict and a nuisance to his neighbors.

The conviction of angered neighbor Kateřina Slavíčková, who also joined in on the beating of Huang, bears eerie similarities to events last week in Slovakia.

If that case proves the competence and even-handedness of the judicial system, the inability of West Bohemian University to strip degrees from people who allegedly obtained them in cash-for-diploma deals creates serious doubts.

One would hope basic laws about fraud would be sufficient to pursue recourse in these cases, and if they are not, then those laws clearly lack teeth. Also troubling are reports that police plan to drop their investigation of these incidents.

The credibility of higher education throughout the entire country was and is thrown into question by this incident. It seems inconceivable that a university is not capable of determining on its own whether students met the necessary degree requirements and then either endorsing or revoking diplomas issued in its name.

Developments like these are what make people wonder whether law enforcement and judicial officials are acting in the public interest or on behalf of powerful people who wish to obscure wrongdoing.